Sony Begins Final Shutdown Of Pitman, NJ Plant, Leaving Town In The Lurch
PITMAN, N.J. (CBS) - It's the beginning of the end for what had been one of Gloucester County, NJ's larger employers, as Sony Corporation shuts down its CD plant in Pitman, putting some 300 people out of work and perhaps changing the fabric of the town.
How are the locals taking it all? Most are worried about what lies ahead for the town that's worked hard to improve itself.
The Bus Stop Music Café, on Broadway in Pitman, stands almost as a tribute to the plant's heyday, with a collection of CDs, cassettes, and LPs from the likes of Springsteen, Michael Jackson, and some of Sony's other big artists.
Many of the Sony plant workers would come there for lunch -- but not for much longer.
"That certainly doesn't help my business or any other businesses in the retail or food industry," says café owner Victor Martinson (top right). "We're in tough times right now, so I just need to keep the doors open."
The mayor of Pitman echoes that sentiment as he cuts hair in the barber shop next door. Michael Batten (bottom right, in pink shirt) expects the town to lose $400,000 in tax revenue. He and the town council have cut spending to the bone and plan to hike the average real estate tax bill by about $40 per year.
The real question for Batten and the rest of the town now is, what will move in after Sony moves out? The last thing they'd need on the 72-acre site, indicates Mayor Batten, is a Walmart or a shopping center.
Meanwhile, Batten's work on improving what they call the "uptown" area of Pitman is forced to slow.
"We're working on rebuilding it," he says, "and with Sony closing it's another nail in the coffin for a small town."
Reported by David Madden, KYW Newsradio 1060.
